Every year, people are injured as a result of slips and falls due to someone?s else?s negligence or lack of proper upkeep either in a store, outdoor space, or even a personal residence. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17,000 slip and fall accidents occur every year resulting in bodily injury. There are times when clumsiness may cause you to trip or slip and fall on slippery floors, but other times, spilled water, uneven pavement, or a torn carpet can cause the fall leading to personal injury cases. When this does happen, what you do next is of the utmost importance. You need to take action to cover your medical fees, lost time from work, or pain and suffering. When an injury occurs at the fault of someone else, what do you do?

When Slippery Floors Cause Falls

Immediately after a slip and fall injury, you should take the following steps to ensure your injury and the area in which you were injured are well documented.

1. Seek medical attention. Even if you feel your injuries are minor, some injuries from slips and falls can result in broken bones, head traumas, or internal injuries.
   • Medical professionals not only provide medical attention but also document incident, injury and medical diagnosis in writing.
2. Inspect the area where fall happened – look for the potential cause of slip and fall and document your version of what happened.
3. Take photos of the area as soon as possible before the conditions of the area change so you have a record of area?s condition when you fell.
4. Identify any witnesses who saw you fall, injuries, or condition of the area where your fall took place. Write down witnesses? names, phone numbers, and addresses.

Personal Injury Attorney

If you decide to pursue a personal injury claim or lawsuit for a slip and fall case, you should contact an attorney. A personal injury attorney will help you navigate your case and will attempt to show that a dangerous condition existed on their property, the individual or business knew or should have known about it, and they were responsible for that dangerous condition. When an attorney agrees to take on a personal injury case, they do this based on a contingency. If attorneys settle your case, they receive a percentage of the settlement. Their percentage is usually between 25-40% with the average being 33%. If your attorney does not win, they do not get paid. When an attorney gets involved, he will help by getting the best settlement possible for lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering brought on by a slip and fall. Their involvement will include:

1. Gathering evidence – pictures, statements, documentation.
2. Speaking with witnesses, doctors, store employees.
3. Hiring of expert witnesses to argue that property owner was negligent in incident
4. Visiting scene of slip and fall incident.
5. Estimating the value of case and pursuing all damages you deserve from your fall.
6. Working with opposing attorneys or insurance adjuster to negotiate a fair settlement for your injuries.

It is important that you take the right action after falling on slippery floors or a slip and fall injury. Make sure you seek medical attention. If you decide to pursue legal action, find a personal injury attorney that will help you manage your legal claim. As your attorney works through your case, stay well-informed, be an active participant, and be prepared to make decisions about accepting or rejecting settlement offers your attorney has for you. Personal injury lawyers are there for your best interests.